Hurricane season is in full swing! Scientists caution Americans not to become comfortable as massive storms are on the horizon despite August’s record-breaking absence of named storms in a La Nia year.
Meteorologists projected an extremely active 2022 hurricane season – June 1 through November 30 – in May.
Yet August has ended for only the third time since records began without a named storm.
In August of 1961 and 1997, there were no tropical storms or hurricanes; the year 2022 has recently been added to the list.
Analysts believe that higher-than-normal wind shear – winds that spin at various heights of the atmosphere – has prevented the formation of storms.
A disproportionately high level of Saharan dust in the sky could potentially be dampening the storms.
Three prospective storms are now being monitored over the Atlantic, and experts warn that it is far too early to pronounce 2022 a storm-free year.
As August comes to a close without any named storms, scientists warn against complacency. This is the first time in modern history that this has occurred in a “La Nia year.”
The most recent named storm to strike the United States was Tropical Storm Colin, which made landfall in the Carolinas on July 2.
In May of 2022, meteorologists expected an exceptionally active hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through November 30.
However, the absence of storms is causing some to relax, while experts say that their forecasts are still accurate.
No hurricanes at the midpoint of the season? Dr. Rick Knabb, an expert on hurricanes for The Weather Channel, noted that the second half of a storm is typically vastly different.
And on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center tweeted, ‘Hurricane season is heating up! In the Atlantic basin, the NHC is watching three areas for tropical development over the next five days.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) projected a very intense 2022 season on May 24.
They stated, ‘Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, a part of the National Weather Service, are projecting above-average hurricane activity this year, which would mark the seventh straight season with above-average hurricane activity.
NOAA forecasted a 65 percent likelihood of a season above average, a 25 percent chance of a season near normal, and a 10 percent risk of a season below normal.
They anticipate 14 to 21 named storms with winds of 39 mph or more, of which six to ten could develop into hurricanes.
They anticipated that up to six of these might become major storms.
However, there have been only three named storms and no hurricanes so far this season.
In August of 2021, Hurricane Henri blasted into New England. On August 23, 2021, this image depicts the remnants of the storm near Milford, Connecticut.
Rescuers are pictured in Helmetta, New Jersey, after Henri hit on August 22, 2021
On September 1, 2021, floodwaters slowly recede in Lafitte, Louisiana, roughly 25 miles south of New Orleans, as a result of Hurricane Ida.
Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University, highlighted that there has not been a single named storm anywhere in the Atlantic between July 3 and the end of August for the first time since 1982.
Since 1950, this phenomenon has occurred five times, making a quiet stretch this long preceding peak season a roughly once-per-decade occurrence.
He said that higher-than-usual wind shear – winds that spin at various levels of the atmosphere and prevent the development of storms – may have contributed to the recent period of calm weather.
This season has seen an increase in Saharan dust, which inhibits the development of storms.
Given that the United Nations’ weather organization stated on Wednesday that they expect La Nia to continue through the end of the year, the quiet period is even more strange.
La Nia is a natural and cyclical cooling of regions of the equatorial Pacific that alters global weather patterns, frequently resulting in an increase in Atlantic storms, less precipitation, and more wildfires.
If La Nia persists for the remainder of the year, it will be the first “triple dip” of the 21st century – three consecutive years of the climate event.
It is all the more astonishing that no hurricanes have occurred during a La Nia year.
In 1961 and 1997, there were no tropical storms or hurricanes in August.
Forecasters are now observing three potential storms in the Atlantic.
Over the Atlantic, three potential storms are being tracked.
According to the National Hurricane Center, the nearest storm as of Wednesday was located east of the Leeward Islands, with an estimated 80 percent chance of becoming a hurricane within five days.
One is located about northeast of the Cabo Verde Islands and has a 40 percent chance of developing into a storm during the next five days. The other is located 850 miles west-southwest of the westernmost Azores and has an 80 percent chance of becoming a hurricane within the next five days.
Last year at this time, the United States had weathered Tropical Storm Fred, which reached Florida on August 16 and unleashed 31 tornadoes from Georgia to Massachusetts, and Hurricane Henri, which slammed into New England on August 22 and caused extensive flooding along the coast.
Storm Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, on August 29, 2021, with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, tying the state record for strongest landfall speeds with the 1856 Last Island hurricane and Hurricane Laura of 2020.
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, killing an estimated 1,836 people, primarily in Louisiana.